Have been doing a lot of yard birding lately and for the first time since
west nile arrived one and then 2 crows are in the area. One has been heard
or seen and now has a friend. They pass over heading for dumpsters off to
the east.
A couple of weeks ago, the alarm jay started giving a new call. At times it
sounded like he was teaching another jay in his clan or another clan how to
do a hawk call to clear the doves off the feed. It was a squeaky sort of
single noted call repeated about 10-12 times. Maybe a forgotten young
redtail or something.
Today I saw the hawk call maker calling and it is a small male peregrine
falcon. And maybe there are two of them. Sure explains sudden explosions of
the white-winged doves out of the area. The one alarm jay has the call down
pat and was mimicking for a long time before I saw the falcon. Call did not
compute and the taped call at the grocery story is a long-drawn out version.
My munia flock vanished a couple of weeks ago after the dry spell set in.
But yesterday they were back with the rain. They have been very wet time
birds since first appearing. Still have not found their home and so cannot
tell if they are feeding along the bayou and can't when the water is up or
that they do not like wet matted tall grass. They are the only bird at my
feeders that withstands the horde of white-winged doves.
Both cardinals and mockingbirds are making nests and the chickadees may be
doing the same but the site has moved due to bayou clearance across the
water. The red-tailed hawks are back in the area and the male is doing lazy
circles in the sky. Cooper's are less seen maybe tied to the arrival of
peregrines hunting in the same area.
A few days ago when without binoculars what appeared to be a small buteo
with a deep dihedral headed off to the west. No idea what it was but not a
red-tail.
The barred owls are getting noisier. The male whapped his image in my
window 3 times last night. At least the female is not sitting on the rail
and hooting him on. It will be about 3 months before I can see if they are
successful nesting by when youngsters arrive.
Since Saturday, many of the goldfinches and yellow-rumped warblers headed
off to the north. Many of the birds left are females or first year birds
without any sign of male plumage. Lots of butter-butt flaunting goes on in
the pm
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/162556052
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/162556050
And some males were getting looking more into breeding plumage
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/162556043
The young munias are mainly in adult plumage
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/162556031
Pine warblers are singing
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/162556022
Normally I have 1 or 2 yellow-rumped warblers at the bark butter. This
winter I have had up to 30 at a time and have had to fill the feeders 3
times a day. The swarm crowded out the other birds like ruby-crowned
kinglet, orange-crowned warbler and Wilson's warbler which has not been at
a feed yet but looks. Gets chased by the butter-butts so only comes before
dawn and very late.
Only 1 pine siskin out there
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/162556020
But he is a great mimic and can talk some redpoll. Gets my attention every
time. Just starting to do the warbling song which has several phrases of
other birds mixed in but cannot pick them out yet.
And lots more pictures can be browsed at
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/inbox
--
Joseph C. Kennedy
on Buffalo Bayou in West Houston
Josephkennedy36@xxxxxxxxx
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